Here's a slow motion clip of the AK.
I can see barrel flexing going on.
The large bolt also racks the entire rifle.

the bullet is gone before the bolt ever moves. as far as barrel flex so what as long as your ammo is really good the harmonics are the same and the bullet leaves the muzzel at the same point every time and hits in the same place. since were talking building a long range target rifle on a PSL kit I assume that the barrel OD will be increassed like in any target rifle. Funny how most of the AR guys who shoot varmints seriously dont have thin barrels like a original M16. a heavy barrel can be done on any AK platform as well.

This gun has repeatadly shot under 1/2" 5 shot groups with good ammo in 223. it shoots the same with or with out a gas system drilled or working. it out shoots 90% of the varmint style AR,s out there and likely all of the original profile barreld ARs. It runs a bent tapco blank is un tempered and I can twist the gun by hand if i want. It is the same reciver as any other AK and likely more flexable than many. If reciver flex were a Issue what I do with it would be impossable. I honestly feel I could put this barrel assembly on any of my recivers and it would shoot good. I honestly think the AR could be at a disadvantage with its alloy reciver and dissimular steel barrel as heat will warp these parts differantly as the gun warms up. Aluminum expands and contracts considerably more than steel. if the AK had been a american design trust me it would be as developed in the aftermarket as the AR is today and it woud be a very repitubale shooter. Id take a gun that is reliable in combate of over what ever the AR is suposed to be any day. I cant think of any other fire armthat has had more updates and band aid fixes than the m16/ar15. the Ak and AKM are basicaly un changed and still work. I am pro american but it dont mean we do every thing better and the arogance we show toward our stuff is a bad idea when it come to life and death on a battel field. I have been rediculed / laughed at on the range and field before untill the shooting stars and my groups are better froma $300 build.

this screw build will shoot and it has nothing to do with the reciver flex.

I skimmed over the posts and agree with the fact that the bullet leaves the barrel before the recoil forces act on the barrel and the shooter. The issue with flexing, and barrel oscillation, is more an issue for full-auto firing. A semi-auto target shooting situation will never have to deal with that.

Now, the issue of stiffening the receiver would help to reinforce a build to make it overall more sturdy, but should not affect accuracy.

The issue of accuracy on an AK is mostly to do with ammo quality *AND* barrel quality. The chamber of an AK is *very* loose, up to about .008" larger in some cases, making for a very reliable gun that doesn't foul up due to a dirty chamber, no matter how much you don't clean it. Sound familiar?

IF you were to cut your own chamber and load your own ammo you would see much tighter and consistent accuracy out of it. The problem with 7.62x39 is that it is an "intermediate" round that doesn't have that good of long-range performance. Has been roughly compared to a .30-30 in ballistics. Thus the longer range calibers are preferred for an "accuracy AK" build.

DAMN!!! thats very cool. i love it when the purist scoff at the unwashed, then get their asses handed to'em. i have this underdog complex.

i see shit like this at the range all the time. some dude shows up with a bolt gun all tricked out with more $ in a bench rest than i have in my ak. clamps the rifle in and literally stares at the magazine in his hand for 5 minutes wondering how he's going to get it in the rifle. my 14 y/o kid had to tell him to take the gun out of the vise.

biggun, didnt even get as far as looking at the case diameter on the x54 vs the others. this is still a vaporware idea until i get the kit in hand.

I skimmed over the posts and agree with the fact that the bullet leaves the barrel before the recoil forces act on the barrel and the shooter. The issue with flexing, and barrel oscillation, is more an issue for full-auto firing. A semi-auto target shooting situation will never have to deal with that.

Now, the issue of stiffening the receiver would help to reinforce a build to make it overall more sturdy, but should not affect accuracy.

The issue of accuracy on an AK is mostly to do with ammo quality *AND* barrel quality. The chamber of an AK is *very* loose, up to about .008" larger in some cases, making for a very reliable gun that doesn't foul up due to a dirty chamber, no matter how much you don't clean it. Sound familiar?

IF you were to cut your own chamber and load your own ammo you would see much tighter and consistent accuracy out of it. The problem with 7.62x39 is that it is an "intermediate" round that doesn't have that good of long-range performance. Has been roughly compared to a .30-30 in ballistics. Thus the longer range calibers are preferred for an "accuracy AK" build.

Well said. the round can be very very accurate there are guy who shoot it in bolt action with good brass and shoot under .250 groups. the issue is putting the bullet in the bullseye at unknow ranges it does not shoot flat like a 223 or other faster round like a 308. wind drift can be a factor as well. how ever keep in mind that rounds like the 30 bench rest are not much faster. I have seen hambers that are well over .010 loose on the sides and closer to .012. I cut my own chambers and there still a little loose but much tighter than the very very loose factory set up. I think a PSL with 22" heavy barrel and and good ammo would do every thing that a AR10 can do in 308 there is no reason it wont. the x54 can out perform the 308 velocity wise as it is in between a 308 and a 30-06. there is quality brass out there for it. Id get a reamer that is set up for a .308 bore and is tighter then the facory chamber Id also shorten the free bore as well. take advantage of the american .308 bullets VS the poor selection of .310-.313 bullets and it will make a great gun. I need to do one at some point. I still think a 6.5x54r would be the hot ticket a 6mm or 7mm version would be good as well.

DAMN!!! thats very cool. i love it when the purist scoff at the unwashed, then get their asses handed to'em. i have this underdog complex.

i see shit like this at the range all the time. some dude shows up with a bolt gun all tricked out with more $ in a bench rest than i have in my ak. clamps the rifle in and literally stares at the magazine in his hand for 5 minutes wondering how he's going to get it in the rifle. my 14 y/o kid had to tell him to take the gun out of the vise.

biggun, didnt even get as far as looking at the case diameter on the x54 vs the others. this is still a vaporware idea until i get the kit in hand.

find my accurisingthe AK in the AK discussion forum for more info on it and others.
I had my 12" pistol out shooting a guys 308 Rem 700 sniper a few years ago he ended up being a LEO and a pretty decent guy now he shows my gun to his friends. that pistol will shoot 1" groups as well with the ammo.

Here's a slow motion clip of the AK.
I can see barrel flexing going on.
The large bolt also racks the entire rifle.

Yes there is some barrel flex, but that also happens with an AR shooting a smaller round, also a lot of that racking the entire rifle is hard to tell since most of the shooters are holding it loose.
Here's a video of a milled AK, still has some barrel flex

Smartbomb, a Yugo with a rough bore is my worse shooter, I'd say it's about 5-6" grouping with open sights at 100 yards. The rest will hit a clay bird out to 200 yards if I take my time and can keep focused on it, at that distance I sometimes have trouble keeping that size target and sights in focus at the same time.

"Government is not the solution to our problem, government is the problem" Ronald Reagan

There is a 6.5x54 that was used in Bioatolon compitition that would be a barrel change only as awell as several wild cats based on the 7.62x54 round one of them would be the way to go IMOO.

The chambering reamers and sizing dies for any of the 6.5x54 variants will have to be custom made. That's why I went to the 6.5x54 Mannlicher instead - and it's available in both rimmed and rimless variants.